Is it St. Barts, Saint Barth, or St. Bart's? All of those are correct...in a fashion. The official name of the island is Saint Barthélemy. It was named by Christopher Columbus for his brother Bartolomeo (Bartholomew). The locals and the francophone world refer to it as Saint Barth or St. Barth so that's what I use. In English, people will often change it to St. Barts and you will see that used in a lot of travel guides. Even specific online forums like SBHOnline.com and St. Barths Online use St. Barts and St. Barths respectively. However, the usage of St. Bart's, though seen often, really isn't correct. Think of the U.S. Virgin Islands, they aren't known as St. John's and St. Thomas's;...

Everyone's definition of paradise is different. For me, it's some place where I can scuba dive, take too many photographs, have great food, and selectively disconnect from it all. St. Barthélemy is that place for me. Before you jump to conclusions about St. Barth — as I did before I first visited — understand that, as with most things, the perceptions and reality don't equate. Upon my first visit here, I assumed that there would be a slew of celebrities dripping with couture and render me side-eyeing and loathing paparazzi. Not the case at all. Certainly there are people here that you will be hard-pressed to not notice. However, that is likely by personal design via jewelry, clothing, and yacht selection. Yes,...